Ripon is one of England's smallest cities, set on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales. Its main glory is the cathedral, founded in the 7th century — the Saxon crypt survives, one of the oldest intact structures in England. The rest of the building is mostly 13th century and later, deliberately kept low and modest so as not to attract the attention of Scottish raiders.
Every evening at 9 p.m. in the market square, the Wakeman's horn is sounded — a tradition dating back over a thousand years, when the Wakeman was responsible for setting the night watch. The market square itself is handsome, surrounded by Georgian townhouses.
Just outside town, Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal is one of the finest ruined abbeys in England and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The extensive remains sit in a beautiful valley alongside the water gardens of Studley Royal — together they make one of the best days out in Yorkshire. Brimham Rocks, a collection of bizarre wind-sculpted rock formations, is a short drive further south. Ripon also has a remarkable cluster of Victorian social history museums — a prison, a courthouse, and a workhouse — that together paint a vivid picture of 19th-century England.